July 2003
Dear People of All Saints',
It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you
our new assistant, The Rev. Daniel J. Tuton. Dan comes to us from the
Diocese of Rio Grande where he was ordained to the transitional diaconate
on June 21, 2003. Prior to going to seminary, Dan was a licensed marriage
and family therapist in both New Mexico and California. Dan is a graduate
of Trinity Episcopal Seminary (my seminary) and has an M.S. in Counseling
from California State University and a B.S. in Environ-mental Planning
and Management from the University of California, Davis. Dan is married to
Michelle and has three boys, Rob, James, and Christian. They will be
moving into the property at the end of June, and his ministry will begin
on July 1. He will be ordained priest sometime in December or January here
at All Saints'.
The reason I am so excited about the Tutons coming
to All Saints' is that I truly believe it to be a move of the Holy Spirit.
I met the Tuton family about 12 years ago at my former parish in
California. They became very active in the church with Dan eventually
becoming Senior Warden. All of us at St. Francis sensed a call on Dan's
life to ordained ministry and encouraged him to pray about becoming a
priest. In 1995 Dan accepted a job in Gallup, New Mexico and the family
moved away. We missed them all a great deal, but we kept in touch over the
years. One day Dan called to inform me that he finally made a decision to
got to seminary and pursue the priesthood. My heart leapt with joy, and even
back then I had a feeling we would work together some day.
Over the past three years the Tuton family kept in
touch and visited with us on a couple of occasions. When they were here
they fell in love with the church and the area. We fantasized over the
possibilities of them joining us in ministry, but, as it is with the
church, Dan was bound to the Bishop of Rio Grande. We both agreed to
mutually pray about the future and about three weeks later I received a
call that Dan's Bishop would allow him to seek a position elsewhere. After
interviewing other candidates it was clear that the Tutons would be a
wonderful fit for us. Dan and Michelle truly feel called to be here, and
I, along with the interview committee, felt the same.
Finally, for all who may not have heard, the
hiring of an assistant is in no way meant to take away from, or replace,
the fine work of our deacon, Gina Arents. Lord willing, Gina will be with
us for the entire length of her appointment which has two more years to
run. If you remember, permanent deacons are not paid and are only to work
10 hours per week. Because of our growth and needs, we have asked Gina to
do much more than her agreement states. Dan's coming will actually free
Gina to fulfill the ministry God has called her to accomplish among us.
Dan's duties will be to fully share in the pastoral and liturgical life of
the church and to oversee the areas of program, Christian education and
formation. We will welcome the Tutons with a formal reception sometime in
July with a date and time to be announced. A final reminder for anyone who
would like to contribute to the staff fund or the capital fund is to
please use the envelopes available in the narthex.
May God bless you,
Fr. David
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